Road accident victims in India start to get cashless treatment: Nitin Gadkari
- Cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims in India has been initiated on a pilot basis in two places, said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in Parliament.


People injured in road accidents in India will soon be able to avail cashless treatment offered by the Centre. The scheme to help road accident victims have been initiated as a pilot project in Chandigarh and Assam, said Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. The minister informed the Parliament that the scheme will cover treatment of road accident victims irrespective of the type of road it took place.
The Centre has undertaken the cashless treatment project for road accident victims in India in collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA). The project was earlier announced in March this year. It is aimed to help save more lives lost in road accidents every year. India currently tops among nations with highest number of deaths in road accidents. India saw around 1.68 lakh people die in road accidents in 2022.
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In a written reply in Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Nitin Gadkari said, “Under this scheme, the eligible victims are administered Health Benefits Packages relating to trauma and polytrauma care at empanelled hospitals under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana, up to a maximum of ₹1.5 lakh for a maximum period of 7 days from the date of the accident." Victims of road accidents in India often die due to non-availability of first responder or hospitalisation during the initial phase after the accident which is also known as the golden hour.
The cost of the cashless treatment will be provided by the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund under section 164B of the Motor Vehicles Act. The NHA will be responsible to implement the scheme across India. It will coordinate with different stakeholders, including local police, hospitals, health agencies and General Insurance Council. The NHA will use digital platform which will have a detailed report on the accident to apply for the scheme.
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In 2022, India witnessed more than 4.61 lakh road accidents in which over 1.68 lakh people lost their lives and another 4.43 lakh people injured. The Centre has recently said that it aims to reduce the number of road accidents to half by 2030.
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